Haris Suleman was flying with his father, Babar Suleman. Their last stop on their around-the-world flight would have been Monterey, California -- they planned to fly from Hawaii to Monterey on Friday, and return home to Indiana on Sunday.

Family spokeswoman Annie Hayat said the plane flown by the 17-year-old went down Tuesday night shortly after leaving Pago Pago in American Samoa. Haris' body was recovered, but crews were still looking for Babar Suleman's body on Wednesday.

KSBW had planned to interview Haris when he landed in Monterey, and his father wrote to KSBW a few hours before the crash.

"We are currently sitting on the ground in Pago Pago, American Samoa waiting for slightly favorable winds to launch for Hawaii. Once in Hawaii, we plan to spend 3 days and then depart (to Monterey)," Babar Suleman wrote.

U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Melissa McKenzie said witnesses reported seeing the single-engine Hawker Beechcraft crash into the ocean about a mile from shore shortly after taking off from Pago Pago International Airport.

The father and son were using the trip to raise money for The Citizens Foundation, a nonprofit that builds schools for thousands of under privileged children in Pakistan. Many students live in some of the world's worst slums.

The Sulemans left their home in Indiana on June 19 and made stops throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. The teenager gazed at the world from a bird's eye view while flying over Iceland, England, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Pakistan, Malaysia, Bali, and Australia.

Haris' sister, Hiba Suleman, said the trip had been a dream of her father's for years and that her brother was also excited about it. Haris had recently obtained his pilot's license and instrument rating, which authorized him to fly an aircraft over oceans. Hiba told reporters Wednesday that her father and brother had undergone training in how to handle an ocean landing and wore protective suits while flying over water.